The
Sony Walkman, a popular portable music device in the '80s that
dropped into obscurity in the '90s , is back on top again -- in
Japan.

A survey by the Tokyo-based marketing
research company BCN Inc. indicates that Sony -- which had
consistently placed second to iPod -- placed first for the month of
August.

Sony’s share of the market for digital
music players beat
out Apple with a 47.8 percent market share last month, while
the iPod captured 44 percent according toAFP and BCN.

"This
is the first time that the Walkman outsold the iPod in monthly
sales," said BCN analyst Eiji Mori.

BCN has been tracking
monthly MP3 player sales in the country since 2001. Sony was
able to walk away with the lead for one week in September of 2001, but fell short for the month. Sony
gained momentum in May with the release of its new Walkman S
line. Mori speculated that consumers were holding off on buying an
iPod ahead of the release of its newest generation.

"Sony's
strategy to market relatively affordable products may have also
contributed to the turnaround in the ranking in market shares,"
Mori added.

The
iPod is expected to recapture the market again soon. The highly
anticipated, latest version of the device was revealed
this week, but Sony could remain a contender for the top
spot.

The company also had a revelation this
week. Sony announced its plans to introduce new digital music
service Music Unlimited. The service will stream music over the
internet to Sony TVs, PS3s, Blu-ray players and other devices.